1.Technical Field
The present invention relates to group tours and more particularly to a computerized system for planning, development and management of custom group tours.
2.Background Information
Custom tours that involve developing an itinerary for a group of individuals traveling to a destination are typically prepared by a travel agency or other similar organization. A custom itinerary may also be developed for meetings or other functions involving a group of individuals by a function planning organization. In general, developing an itinerary for a group involves establishing an agenda of events and/or travel locations, identifying the individuals that are going to participate in the function or tour and building a sequential time schedule. In addition, development of an itinerary may also include determining services and/or venues supporting travel, locations and/or events. Determination and tracking of the costs and expenses of the tour for the group as a whole and for each individual participant may also be part of the process.
Computerized travel and reservation information and planning systems are widely used to assist in the development of itineraries for customized group tours. Typically, a tour organizer, such as a travel agency, collects information in the form of one or more lists of participating individuals that include personal information such as names, contact information, etc. The collected information may be provided as computer data or may be manually entered into a computer by the tour organizer. Based on the number of participants, the tour organizer may then use a computerized reservation system to reserve services such as airlines, buses and hotels that will be utilized by the group during the tour. The tour organizer may then assign each participating individual to an airplane seat, a bus seat, a hotel room, or other reserved accommodation. This is a manual process that involves associating the reserved accommodations information with the data related to each participating individual. Information related to other activities such as dining services, attractions, such as amusement parks, museums, etc., may also be identified and reserved by the tour organizer based on the list of participants.
Once the services and/or facility reservations are completed, the tour organizer will typically develop a tour booklet or other document for distribution to the group of participants. The tour booklet may include a daily schedule, maps, contact information for services and attractions being utilized and other details related to the tour. Compilation of the details associated with the tour related information is also a manual process requiring association of the services and venues related information with the group data and reservation data. In addition, the financial aspects of the tour, such as expenses, profit margins, etc. must be determined, compiled into financial data and tracked by the tour organizer. This involves a separate accounting computer system into which the financial data must be entered, verified and maintained.
Inherently, the participating individuals in such group tours are added and/or removed during the planning process. In addition, services, venues, time schedules, etc. change. Further, there may be errors and/or omissions in the data provided by the tour participants and/or the tour specific information that must be changed/corrected. Such changes must be reflected in the head count, the reserved accommodations, the financials, etc. Thus, the participant lists, reserved accommodations, the tour booklet and the financials must be frequently updated to accurately reflect the revised participants and/or tour itinerary. Typically, such changes are communicated verbally, by facsimile, etc. and must be made manually by the tour operator. In addition to the significant time and resources expended by the tour operator and/or the participants to communicate and effect such changes, the accuracy of the tour information may be compromised due to errors and inaccuracies introduced during the revision process. Not only may the quality of the tour experienced by the participants be affected by such errors but also the financial accuracy of the tour may be compromised.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system capable of developing, planning and managing customized group tours that minimizes opportunities for errors in the tour information and finances. In addition, a system is needed that minimizes manual data entry and data transfers between various systems used to develop such a customized group tour.